The donning of deal with masks has been advisable by the Environment Wellbeing Corporation as just one of the powerful safety protocols in fighting in opposition to the contraction, infection, and the spread of the coronavirus. Nonetheless, warning ought to be exercised in utilizing it as protecting equipment from the coronavirus. Mistaken use of the facial area mask is probably to expose the wearer to the coronavirus infection. In Ghana, there have been various incorrect utilizes of the face masks induced by cultural boundaries and infodemics in the country. This write-up throws a highlight on these cultural obstacles and infodemics to it’s wrong use. Also, it discusses causes why the general populace have to dispel these infodemics about the use of the encounter masks in the avoidance of COVID-19 infection.
Culturally, Ghanaians extol fantastic manners these kinds of as demonstrating regard to the elderly in the culture as effectively as demonstrating regard to those people in authority. Men and women who are unsuccessful to demonstrate regard to the aged, as nicely as people today in authority, are viewed as social deviants. These kinds of persons are objects of social isolation and stigma in the Ghanaian modern society. Hence, every single Ghanaian citizen strives to earn the goodwill of many others, specially, his or her communal customers, by displaying respect, humility, and dignity toward the elderly and people in authority. Regretably, there has been a increasing infodemic on the decreasing of confront masks amongst some Ghanaian people today in the quest of demonstrating respect to the aged and those people in leadership positions as cultural calls for. It has been observed amongst some learners in Ghanaian establishments that they intentionally pull it down down below the chin although talking to their instructors and/or heads of establishments as a signal of respect. Security staff also pull down their deal with masks while speaking to their superiors and managers. Also, some church congregants also lower them down though standing in advance of their spiritual leaders. This mindset of decreasing one’s experience mask to the chin of the face could be enthusiastic by the cultural necessity of demonstrating respect to the elderly and all those in authority by having off one’s hat, slippers, and bowing down the full human body. This issue is harmful to the health of the wearer who deliberately pulls it down as a indicator of regard. This perspective exposes the nostrils and mouth of the wearer, making it easy for the droplets of the coronavirus from an infected superior or elderly person to infect the particular person. Hence, the carrying of a encounter mask ought to be preserved at all periods whilst speaking to the elderly, a top-quality officer, or a spiritual leader. This is important for the prevention towards the coronavirus. Other varieties are culturally acknowledged in Ghana in exhibiting regard in the direction of those people in authority and the aged in society. These contain making use of decorum in speech, and standing on one’s toes even though an aged individual or a person in authority is talking and/or in one’s midst. Hence, public overall health officers and the COVID-19 response team have to sensitize the standard Ghanaian populace on the need to maintain worn masks all the time, without pulling it down as a indicator of displaying respect.
One more infodemic that is spreading rapidly between the Ghanaian populace is that the wearer of a encounter mask can momentarily pull it down to get fresh air and then pull it back. Some Ghanaians, in particular, market place ladies and traders assert the confront mask will make it hard for them to breathe. These kinds of folks have been affected by the misinformation in the community area that it is not incorrect pulling down the deal with mask down below the nose to breathe in fresh air for a couple of seconds. This is unsafe to the health of the wearer as it would make it quick for the coronavirus droplets of an infected human being to travel very easily by the nostrils to contract an an infection. Public health education in Ghana should sensitize the general general public on this infodemic that can add to the spread of the coronavirus an infection.
As the earth continues it is really fight against the lethal coronavirus global pandemic, there is the want for everyone to exercise caution and comply with meticulously, all the preventive protocols from dependable overall health bodies and businesses this sort of as from the website of the Environment Overall health Firm. The confront masks should be worn at all situations and need to under no circumstances be pulled down as a cultural indication of regard or to get in clean air momentarily. These infodemics need to be averted and campaigned in opposition to to prevent pointless contraction of the coronavirus in Ghana.